


feel your whisper across the sea

by carmiros



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Denial of Feelings, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Slow Dancing, gays in space, i have a thing for my faves being able to sing so naturally im a wreck, idk what to tell you, its just, like a COUPLA HOMOS, mmmmokay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 14:44:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7512248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carmiros/pseuds/carmiros
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>You'll hear the music fill the air, I'll put a flower in your hair. Though the breezes through the trees move so pretty, you're all I see.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	feel your whisper across the sea

**Author's Note:**

> [this post](http://y-annah.tumblr.com/post/147126098029/ok-im-too-giddy-about-this-im-currently-making-a) mcfreakin broke me so naturally i had to write about it. 
> 
> thanks to dreamworks for kicking my ass with this corny show. it's only been about a week and i'm already staying up till 1am writing fic. the title, summary and the song mentioned/used is "lucky" by jason mraz and colbie caillat. except its not hetero anymore

Keith has better things to do than scrubbing a Garrison bathroom floor. Just to name a few things, he could be studying for the flight exam that’s tomorrow morning or be catching up on sleep after his all-nighter to study for _another_ exam. But here he is, trying not to gag at the mold-like patch on the bathroom tile which refuses to be scrubbed away.

Despite knowing that he has a very short temper, Keith tries not to lose it. His temper is like a bomb fuse: once it’s lit, it’ll explode, and recently, it’s been lit and relit by the same person every time.

At the sheer sight of the culprit, which is fleeting, Keith feels his blood start to boil. Lance is on his hands and knees, trying to get rid of a mysterious mark on the wall.  The collar of his shirt is stained with dried blood and the evidence of a nosebleed is apparent on his face.

Keith’s knuckles still ache and are starting to turn purple, but he doesn’t find it within him to care. No matter what the consequences, punching Lance square in the nose was worth it; it shut him up for once.

 _Not for long, though,_ Keith muses bitterly. In the commander’s office, Lance was back to spitting insults in Keith’s face, unclever and missing their aim. Keith brushed them off, adrenaline dwindling and making him want nothing more than to just go back to his dorm. The commander had other plans, however, and the punishment for lashing out against another student-- physically, this time-- was scrubbing a bathroom.

“You have a personal vendetta against that mold or something?” Lance calls and snaps Keith out of his thoughts.

He blinks down at the hairy, green patch that’s started to peel away and realizes how his arm aches. Keith looks at Lance, and he must be glaring because Lance goes back to the wall, grumbling under his breath.

That’s as much social interaction Keith and Lance can get from each other, a pregnant silence only accented with their huffing and brushes scratching against tile. It’s about the longest Keith has gone without hearing Lance open his big mouth.

Which is why Keith almost groans in exasperation when Lance starts humming. The tune is melodic and Lance’s voice rises to each note, somehow gentle and it makes Keith’s shoulders sag.

Then Lance opens his mouth and starts singing.

Keith’s head snaps up at the sound of it, caught off-guard at how, well, _good_ Lance’s voice is. He’d rather die than admit it but can’t deny the steady warmth on his cheeks.

Lance doesn’t appear to realize the effect of his own voice, singing about an ocean and open sky as he keeps cleaning. His expression is uncharacteristically serene, consistent smile soft around the edges and Keith feels his face somehow get warmer.

The lyrics of the unfamiliar song turn into ones about loving someone and Keith’s heart constricts. He’s so transfixed that he doesn’t notice Lance starting to glance in his direction until it’s nearly too late.

Keith snaps his head back down and tries to gain control over his breathing. _This absolutely_ cannot _be happening_ , he tells his tight chest. He takes a shaky breath and glares at the tile.

The mold doesn’t become subject to Keith’s frustrations, and Keith doesn’t have the breath knocked out of him as Lance sings about sharing one last kiss.

 

* * *

 

After some time, Keith thought he would be over Lance’s singing ability or maybe Lance wouldn’t sing in front of him again.

He was wrong. Very, very wrong.

It must have been a habit for Lance because he hummed and sang constantly. He did it while walking around the halls of the castle, or cleaning his lion, or even while simply sitting in the lounge room with the rest of the Paladins.

No one commented about it, except for one time where Coran complimented Lance’s voice and tried to teach him an old Altean song. Keith still cringed at the memory of Coran sounding like a screeching bird.

To Keith’s disadvantage, time and distance didn’t change the fact that hearing Lance’s voice made him… feel things. Things he shouldn’t be feeling about his fellow Paladin. He dismisses it as a weird fixation, that naturally he’ll get blushy at the sound of a beautiful voice. Doesn’t everyone?

The conclusion still doesn’t settle right in his chest. There’s something more to Keith’s feelings for Lance, but Keith doesn’t want to explore how deep his _clearly platonic and nothing more than that_ feelings go.

His brain has other plans, as usual.

Keith has no control over how he notices the brightness of Lance’s eyes after he says a ridiculous joke. It’s involuntary how his eyes track the way Lance moves his body, arrogance etched in every part of him. He tries to ignore the freckle on the corner of Lance’s cheek that’s more noticeable when he grins and he tries to ignore the urge to press his lips against it, among other places.

It’s more than physical attributes that catch Keith’s eye, though. Sometimes Lance will look away, out into the endless space that surrounds all of them and his expression will fade into a more crestfallen one. His lips will tip downward and his eyes shift from brightness to something deeper. Keith wants to fix it, he thinks. It has to explain the ache he gets in his chest just by watching Lance gaze at the stars and nebulae as if he’s searching for something.

Keith spends long nights rationalizing his way out of his new predicament. He tells himself that he doesn’t have time to develop romantic feelings for Lance; there’s too much at stake and he can’t afford to get distracted. Besides, who would like someone like Keith? He’s stubborn and distant, which definitely isn’t attractive, even for someone like Lance. He just needs to get over it.

To Keith’s credit, he tries to get over it. Lance, however, is there constantly, loud and boisterous and bright and making Keith’s stomach swoop like he’s back in a plane, using momentum to his advantage and going against gravity. It’s ridiculous how weirdly happy Lance makes Keith, even if his jokes are awful.

His calculated, logical efforts are overtaken by instinct at the sight of Lance’s battered, weak body crumpled on the floor. For a moment, Keith’s brain short-circuits and manages only a string of _LanceLanceLanceLance._ He runs straight to Lance’s side, hand finding his like second nature. Lance squeezes his hand, gentle and comforting, before mustering a weak smile.

“We are a good team,” he says, voice hoarse and scratchy. Despite that, though, it’s still the voice that makes a shiver run down Keith’s spine.

Keith shifts his hold on Lance’s hand so his fingers rest against his pulse. He takes in the hardly steady beat of it, thrumming against his fingertips from adrenaline, and how Lance is watching him with the same weak smile.

That’s when it hits him and all Keith can think is a simple _Oh._

 

* * *

 

Since Keith has gone against all logic and reason, he continues to zero in on every little detail of Lance. It doesn’t take him too long to notice that Lance sings the same song he did back at the Garrison. Keith doesn’t really complain; the song suits his voice well, and he plans to keep that observation to himself.

That aside, Keith quickly learns the song’s melodies and lyrics. It’s sweet, actually, and he finds himself singing it under his breath when alone in his room. He’s definitely not as good as Lance but at least he doesn’t sound like a dying bird.

The tune never leaves Keith’s room, not until Lance and Keith are alone in the castle hangar. They’re sitting on the floor together, cleaning the outside of their lions in companionable silence. Once you clean together, Keith supposes, you don’t go back to doing it alone.

It does make the time go by and call him greedy, but maybe Keith’s enjoying the alone time. The way Lance acts around Keith now is leagues away from how he used to; he can fall quiet without instruction and his snarky comments aren’t as sharp-edged, leaning more towards playful banter, which Keith can go along with.

Then there are the touches. Keith knows Lance is touchy from how he interacts with Hunk and it makes sense- Lance is always craving some sort of attention. Hunk is his friend, always has been, so it’s not unusual for Lance to clap Hunk on the shoulder or to let himself be scooped up into a huge, warm hug. But it’s unusual when Lance walks by Keith while getting another wash rag for his lion and puts a hand on his back, making Keith feel warm from the crown of his head down to the tips of his toes.

The touches have been constant lately; a brush of his hand against Keith’s when passing something, ruffling his hair just to get a reaction out of him, even giving him a one-armed hug when he does well during training. They all leave Keith’s nerves on edge and not for a bad reason. It’s just embarrassing when his stomach feels like it’s flopping.

His stomach twists as he watches Lance’s retreating frame, but forces himself to look back at the leg of his lion. For a moment, he hears laughter coming from somewhere in his mind.

“Shut it,” Keith mutters. In that very same corner of his head, he feels someone smirking.

A moment of silence passes, Keith trying to regain control of himself, until Lance starts singing. Per usual, it’s the same song, but when Keith’s head naturally goes upward, Lance is swaying his hips as he walks back to his lion. At the sight of Keith watching, Lance does an impressive twirl.

Keith snorts despite the blush rising on his cheeks and forces his gaze to turn away. From the corner of his eye, though, Lance does another twirl before starting to wipe off grime from the foot of his lion.

This time Lance is definitely putting on a show for Keith as he hits extra high notes and draws them out, which his voice easily achieves. It does nothing to help Keith bring his blushing down to a minimum. Luckily Lance doesn’t keep the show on for much longer, voice trailing off into something quieter as he starts cleaning in earnest.

“Keith,” Lance says suddenly, making Keith’s head snap over. He opens his mouth to reply then notices how his throat tingles from humming. It must show on his face because Lance gives him a crooked grin.

“You know that song?” he asks.

“You just-” Keith starts, searching for an excuse, “sing it a lot.”

Lance snorts. “You don’t have to pay attention to it, though. It’s just a habit, I’m not that good.”  
  
“I think you’re good,” Keith blurts out. _Shit._

The flashy grin fades from Lance’s face to be replaced by a genuine blush, crawling up from the nape of his neck to his cheeks then the tips of his ears.

“Shut it,” Lance mumbles, then retracts. “I mean- thanks. My mama says I’m good but…”

“She’s right,” Keith replies. Lance’s ears turn near-crimson.

Keith doesn’t notice Lance stepping towards him as he asks, “You think so?”

He just nods in response, not taking his eyes off of Lance’s face before adding, “I mean, even back at the Garrison I thought you were good.”

Lance cocks his head to the side as he kneels in front of Keith. Keith instinctively leans back, eyes flickering down at Lance’s legs that shift into a sitting position and his heart starts hammering against his chest. Lance’s hand rests against his knee.

“What’re you-” Keith manages, but gets interrupted by Lance’s lips crashing against his. They land on more the corner of his mouth and not gently, puckered out.

Keith shoots back and Lance blinks before starting to shrink away. He swears he might even see tears welling up in Lance’s eyes and he nearly falls on his face in his rush to lean over, managing a weak, “No-”

It’s Lance’s turn to lean away, but Keith captures his face in both hands and presses their lips together. Keith gets more teeth than lips until Lance hardly breaks the kiss to reposition himself, tilting his head slightly and- _oh._

A small hum comes from the back of Keith’s throat and his grip softens around Lance’s face. Lance hesitantly puts his hand on the small of Keith’s back and his back arches slightly at the touch, warmth almost burning through his shirt. Keith feels like he’s burning all over, Lance insistent with his kisses and guiding him closer by where his hand rests on Keith’s back.

Keith pulls away first with a quiet gasp but Lance stays where he is, eyes closed and lips still parted. A beat passes before Lance opens his eyes too and their eyes meet, Lance’s pupils just as blown as Keith’s probably are.

“Um,” Keith starts, “I like you.”

Lance answers hoarsely, “I can tell,” and cracks a small smile. In his eyes, though, Keith can see the awe and surprise that makes his eyes shine. He’s seen that look before but knowing that it’s because of him makes Keith feel jittery all over.

“D-do you like me too?” Keith asks, shifting from where he’s sitting on his knees. They’re getting sore but he couldn’t care less, especially when Lance nods.

“Have for a while,” Lance adds. Keith looks away, heat creeping up onto his cheeks and Lance leans so he’s back in his line of sight, grin on his face.

“That’s new,” he laughs and Keith wastes no time shoving him back, but Lance manages to catch himself with an arm, laughing freely now.

“Shut up, Lance,” Keith mumbles.

“You _like me,”_ Lance sing-songs before cackling.

Keith glares at him for a moment then grabs him by the collar to press a messy kiss to his mouth and luckily, it shuts Lance right up.

 

* * *

 

Sometimes as a punishment, Allura will make Lance clean up after dinner. Keith would usually enjoy watching Lance pout from where he’s elbow-deep in soapy water, but most of the time he ends up helping.

Lance is beside him, scrubbing away at Hunk’s plate. Ever since Keith whipped his side with the towel he uses to dry dishes, he’s been quiet but it doesn’t stop him from bumping his hip against Keith’s.

Keith looks up, raising an eyebrow. He fully expects Lance to try to distract him again but Lance gives him a cheeky smile before his gaze goes back to the sink.

_Suspicious._

Keith watches him for a moment longer and hesitantly goes back to drying off dishes. Every time he spares a glance, waiting for Lance to pounce, he gets met with Lance cleaning with that same smile on his face.

The odd silence gets unbearable so Keith clears his throat. He keeps his head ducked down, Lance’s glance over at him only out of the corner of his eye. His composure almost breaks at the ridiculous eyebrow arch Lance gives him.

When Lance looks away, it’s the perfect moment. Keith opens his mouth.

" _Do you hear me? I’m talking to you, across the water, across the deep blue ocean,_ ” Keith’s voice wavers but he doesn’t stop. “ _Under the open sky, oh my. Baby, I’m trying._ ”

Lance’s head whips around to stare at him, and his expression is definitely worth Keith embarrassing himself. A slow grin stretches across his face, exposing the freckle by his chin that Keith still adores, before joining in to harmonize. There’s something about it that makes a shiver run down Keith’s spine and he keeps his eyes on his dishes.

Suddenly, Lance’s fingers wrap around his wrist and turns him so they’re facing each other. Lance keeps pulling him in until their chests are touching and readjusts. Keith finds one of his hands on Lance’s shoulder and a warm arm around his own waist. Then they’re swaying back and forth and this really isn’t what Keith was going for.

His hand is wet from dishwater and soaking through Lance’s shirt, but Lance doesn’t seem to mind as he keeps singing along with Keith, whose voice is wavering. He keeps his eyes trained on the shoulder his hand is resting on, face feeling almost uncomfortably hot.

The warmth has to be radiating when Lance leans in to press their foreheads together. The smile that threatens to break Keith’s face is involuntary and he bites down on his lip to keep it contained.

He can hear the vibrations against Lance’s lips as they both hum. Keith risks a look up and finds Lance watching him, eyes bright and so _close_ , and Keith moves his hands away to loop them around Lance’s neck instead. With a free hand, Lance puts his hand on Keith’s hip and readjusts his other so it presses against the small of his back. It’s a familiar touch at this point, but never fails to make Keith let out a shaky breath.

Lance suddenly smiles and his voice gets absurdly high-pitched, making a nervous giggle bubble out of Keith’s mouth. His chest tightens when Lance laughs too, bright and elated before pressing a swift kiss to his lips. Keith feels the momentary buzz of Lance humming against his mouth and it shoot straight through his core.

"' _mm lucky we’re in love in every way, lucky to have stayed where I have stayed,_ ” Lance sings, and there’s a look in his eyes that takes a moment for Keith to decipher. “ _L_ _ucky to be coming home someday,_ ”

Both of their humming comes against their lips when Keith swoops in to kiss Lance, soft and he means to pull away after a moment but Lance holds him there. The kiss turns earnest, firmer, as Lance’s lips slide against Keith’s in a way that makes him feel like he’s burning again. The hand on his back that pulls him closer feels distant, just like the sound of water running in the sink.

Lance’s ears are red when he pulls away. Keith murmurs, “Allura will be mad if these dishes aren’t done by the time she gets back.”

Lance opens his eyes slowly, then replies just as quietly, “Let her,”

Keith starts to protest but his face is being framed by Lance’s hands and their lips meet again, not as gentle as before but with a purpose this time. His body stiffens with hesitation for only a split second before he kisses Lance back, melting against the intoxicating pull of Lance’s lips.

He hardly notices that Lance is pushing him backwards until his back hits the counter and his hands tighten against Lance’s hips. The sight of Lance’s furrowed brow is narrowed to a slit before disappearing completely as Lance tilts Keith’s face, changing the angle.

Keith loses himself in the kiss so much that when Lance slips his arms underneath Keith’s ass to pick him up and set him down on the counter, Keith lets out a small yelp and pulls away.

“Yeah, I’m definitely strong enough to hold you,” Lance huffs out a laugh, lips red, “It’s all that training Shiro makes us do- _mmph_ -”

Lance grins and his teeth clack on Keith’s, but Keith quickly recovers by wrapping his arms around Lance’s to pull him closer, kiss him deeper. Keith parts his legs and Lance quickly enters the new space, Keith’s hand sliding down to his shoulder blade and fingers curling in.

“Lance, you better be- oh!”

Keith and Lance pull away so quickly, Keith smacks his head against the wall behind him. Coran stands in the doorway of the kitchen, eyes wide.

Lance turns and yells, “Oh,  _come on,_ Coran!”

Coran just gives a bright smile. “It’s so refreshing to see young love around here!”

At that, Keith buries his face in Lance’s shoulder to spare Coran the sight of his face turning bright red. Lance’s hand immediately finds his back, slight pressure reassuring. Despite Lance yelling, “Is that really necessary?” Keith manages a small smile.


End file.
